Join Jeff Tigger Erhardt, Rebecca Wanner AKA BEC and my crew as we answer listener questions about electronic id tags. Plus updates on the tariff war, news, sale recaps, cattle sale info and market commentary that you will only get on this all new episode of The Ranch It Up Radio Show. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcasting app or on the Ranch It Up Radio Show YouTube Channel.

RIU S5 E228 Pros Cons Electronic I.D. Tags. Cattle Industry News Jeff Erhardt Tigger Rebecca Wanner BEC. David McElhaney Merck Animal Health

Season 5, EPISODE 228

Electronic ID Tags Q & A & News And Tariff Updates

What Are The Pro’s & Con’s Of Electronic Animal I.D.

Electronic Identification Tags From Merck

As the leading provider of EID tags and readers through the Allflex® brand, Merck Animal Health wants to support cattle producers in their decision-making with the expertise and solutions they need.

Key Distinctions With Official ID Rules

The new policy only applies to interstate movement. Other exemptions include direct-to-slaughter cattle and sexually intact cattle (and bison) under 18 months of age.

Animals that will need electronically and visually readable tags when they enter interstate movement include:

Sexually intact cattle and bison 18 months or older
All dairy cattle, including beef-on-dairy crossbred animals
Cattle and bison of any age used for rodeo, recreation events, shows or exhibitions

Another important detail: Visual ear tags applied before Nov. 5, 2024, will be recognized as official IDs for the life of the animal. They’ll be grandfathered in and will not need an EID.

Easing The Financial Burden

Producers and the livestock industry have raised concerns about the potential cost burden of the new tagging policies. Congress recently directed USDA-APHIS to allocate no less than $15 million for the cost of tags and related infrastructure to help offset those costs.2

Producers may be able to access EID tags for free via their state veterinarian. They can apply those tags at approved tagging sites. Producers can also buy EIDs directly from a distributor, online vendor or local dealer and apply the tags themselves.

In addition, producers are not required to invest in tag-reading hardware or software, unless they choose to do so for herd management and record keeping. The EID tags can be used the same way as visual tags.

Addressing Data Privacy Concerns

EID tags are encoded with a number that identifies the animal, but no owner-specific information. The data associated with the tags will be stored in various federal and state databases.

Access to that data will also be restricted to the state and federal officials responsible for managing high-impact diseases of the cattle industry.

USDA agnostic on EID tags

USDA isn’t mandating or recommending any one brand of ear tag. Tags must be approved by the department and will be imprinted with the Official Eartag Shield.

The Allflex radio frequency ID (RFID) tags offered by Merck Animal Health meet these standards. They use a short-read range that doesn’t interfere with radio frequencies commonly found in livestock operations. Allflex tags do not include any global positioning system (GPS) capabilities. Producers also use these RFID tags to track health protocols, performance, reproduction and genetics.

The new tagging requirements are intended to bolster the industry’s tracing capabilities in the event of a disease outbreak. Contact your Merck Animal Health representative or tag supplier to find out how Allflex tags can help you comply with these rules while managing your beef or dairy operation more efficiently.

References

National Archives. Federal Register. Rules and Regulations. Use of Electronic Identification Ear Tags as Official Identification in Cattle and Bison. Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. May 9, 2024. 89(91):39540-39566. APHIS-2021-0020. 2024-09717.pdf (govinfo.gov). Retrieved May 21, 2024.
Rachael Oatman. Congress approves $15 million for EID tagging of cattle. Tri-State Livestock News. March 22, 2024. https://www.tsln.com/news/congress-approves-15-million-for-eid-tagging-of-cattle/. Retrieved May 21, 2024.

Ear Tags as Official Identification in Cattle and Bison

Tariffs: Retaliatory China Tariffs On U.S. Meat Products Take Effect

Tariff wars and constant updates. Here are the latest moves. On Monday, the Chinese government implemented new tariffs on a variety of U.S. agricultural products, including meat products.

China’s tariff on U.S. pork will increase from 37% to 47%, while its tariff on U.S. beef will rise from 12% to 22%. Additionally, U.S. poultry products now face a 15% tariff.

According to USDA analysis, China and Hong Kong account for 5% of U.S. poultry exports, 15% of pork exports, and 14% of beef exports.

Announced last week, the tariffs are a retaliation against a new 20% U.S. tariff on Chinese goods, and also cover wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, fruits and vegetables, dairy and fish. China also blocked 15 U.S. companies from buying Chinese products, and another 10 companies from doing business in China; those companies, though, are not in agriculture.

In a March 8 press release from the Chinese government, the Foreign Minister told the United States to rethink what it has achieved from the tariff and trade wars these years — whether its trade deficit has widened or narrowed, whether its manufacturing has become more or less competitive, whether its inflation has gone up or down, and whether the lives of its people have become better or worse.

Tariffs: Canada Keeps Poultry Tariffs, Postpones Beef & Pork

Canada’s 25% tariffs on imports of U.S. chicken will remain in place, while the looming start of an identical levy against beef and pork has been postponed until April 2.

The Canadian Finance Minister announced the decisions, after the U.S. President Donald Trump signed orders postponing or easing 25% tariffs on large amounts of Canadian and Mexican goods.

Trump placed tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico, demanding more action against drug trafficking and illegal border crossing, while claiming that trade deficits constituted “subsidies” to the United States’ neighbors.

In the Oval Office, a White House aide said that the latest executive order excludes goods certified for entry under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) from 25% tariffs until April 2, when Trump is threatening to impose “reciprocal” global tariffs. Cars and car parts will be temporarily spared, while Canadian potash — an important fertilizer — will only be taxed at 10% “in order to help our farmers at this crucial time of year. The aide went on to say, quote, “So this is a modification to our tariff regime to protect American car manufacturers and American farmers.”

The fast-moving trade wrangling between the North American governments follows concerns voiced by Democrats and some Farm Belt Republicans in Congress about disrupted trade with two of the biggest customers for U.S. agricultural goods, especially meat. Canada and Mexico combined buy 31% of U.S. poultry exports, 45% of pork exports and 26% of beef exports.

The Mexican President had promised a reciprocal action including tariffs, with U.S. meat products a likely target.

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